Barclays Capital is ramping up its presence in the Asian credit derivatives market with a new senior role as part of its expansion plans. The bank recently hired credit market veteran Eric Slighton as head of Asia-Pacific credit derivatives in Hong Kong. Slighton spent a decade at Merrill Lynch split between New York and Hong Kong and then four years at Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong. He filled a variety of fixed income roles at both houses including sales, trading and origination before leaving the industry in 2000 to set up U.S.-based software company, ComMira e-Solutions, according to Slighton.
Now at Barclays, Slighton plans to bring the Asian credit derivatives trading team up from Singapore to Hong Kong in the coming months and to build up the desk. "We're committed to achieving first-tier status in the product over the course of this year," he said, declining to elaborate. An official at the firm noted the move makes sense because the traders will sit with the majority of the bank's regional structuring and derivatives marketing staff. "We'll have a modest expansion in staff and a significant expansion in presence," he said.
